Device for suspending and retaining footwear



Feb. 11, 1930. w, PERRY v 1,746,962

DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING AND RETAINING FOOTWEAR Fil ed May 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 11, 1930. H. w. PERRY 1,746,962

DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING AND RETAINING FOOTWEAR Filed May 10, 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES HARRY W. PERRY, OF EAST ORANGE,- NEW JERSEY DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING AND RETAINING FOOTWEAR Application filed Kay 10, 1927. Serial No. 190,179.

This invention relates to suspension devices for footwear, garments and other obj ects or articles.

A principal object of my invention is the provision of a device capable of suspending and retaining articles such as shoes, garments and the like, arranged for suspending and retaining the same by merely manually moving such article into engagement with the device, and capable of releasing such article by mere manual grasping of the article, and what might be called the slip in and slip out type.

The particular forms of my invention are directed to simplicity in construction, convenience in use, cheapness of manufacture and to derive durability of parts and reliability of operation.

Pursuant to the preferred forms of my invention, the same comprises a body portion of resilient material, the terminal portions of which are brought into contiguity and at an angle to one another whereby upon manually forcing the article or thelike into contact withsuch contiguous end portion, such end portions are displaced relatively to one another and upon cessation of such manual force the article is automatically retained by frictional engagement with the end portions and held in position by such end portions. The article is released from engagement with my suspending device by applying manual force sufficient to remove the article from frictional engagement with such resilient end portions.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention made throughout of steel or like material, and capable of being attached laterally to a door frame, wall or the like, and illustrating the use of my invention for suspending a pair of ladies shoes:

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a pa1r of devices embodying my invention of a type for lateral securement to a wall or the like; this view shows shows such pair of my devices for suspending a pair of trousers or the like;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of my invention, showing a type forsecurement from the under face of a shelf or the like;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of my device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pair of my devices of a form in modification of that shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a further modification of my device conforming to the type shown in Fig. 1, but including a pair of frictionally engaging members of wood or the like and supported by a body portion of resilient wire; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation on line 88 of Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 1, the device comprises a bracket portion 10, the oppositely disposed terminal portions 11, 12 and the intermediate body portions 13, 14, which in this type of my device may be wholly made of the same material such as steel or the like possessing suflicient resiliency and rigidly. The same may be manufactured from steel or like material by blanking operation from a flat sheet of steel, then bending at the folds 15, 16 to 'provide a relatively long upper intermediate body portion 13 having the bowed portion 17 connecting such intermediate body portion 13 with its terminal portion 11, and also to provide the lower intermediate body portion 14 extending at its terminal spring portion 12 in contiguous relation with the terminal portion 11 and to locate such intermediate body portion 14 at an angle to the intermediate ody portion 13.

By such arrangement and preferably flaring the extreme terminal spring portions 11, 12, a pair of shoes as is indicated at 18 or like article or articles manually grasped at the adjacent vamp marginal portions 19 are slipped in between the flared terminal spring portions 11, 12 to displace the end portions 11, 12 sufiiciently to permit such marginal vamp portions 19 to enter between the end portions 11, 12, and upon releasing manual hold of the same, the shoes 18, 18 or the like are frictionally held automatically between the terminal spring portions 11, 12. To remove such pair of shoes 18, or other article, the same is effected by merely applying sufficient manual force to the shoes. In a similar manner, a single shoe, iece of cloth, or other suitable garment may e suspended and retained in position by the terminal portions 11, 12, and removed therefrom by pulling in a similar manner.

11 such type of my invention, the device is suspended from the side of a door frame, a cupboard, a wall or the like by means of screws 20, passing through suitable openings in the bracket portion 10 of my device into the frame, wall or the like.

Figs. 2 and 3 represent another type of my device 21 used either in pairs as is indicated in Fig. 2 for suspending a pair of trousers 22 or singly for suspension of any desired suitable article.

In such form of my invention, the end portions 11, 12 are preferably flared at their spring termini 11, 12, similar as above, and the intermediate bod portions indicated 13. 14, are shaped circu arly, the rigidity of the same being attained by the contiguous body portions 23, fixedly secured to one another by means of a rivet 24 or the like and suspended by providing the oppositely extending securement portions 25, 26 provided with suitable openings for receiving the screws 20. Such type of my device ma also be formed of steel or other suitable resilient material.

In the type of my device shown in Fig. 4,

' the same conforms largely to that indicated in Fig. 3, excepting that the intermediate body portions 13, 14 are of substantially equal or semi-circular contour, and the bracket portions 25, 26 are provided for suspension from above, as from the under surface of a shelf or the like. Like parts are indicated by the same reference numbers.

The type shown in Fig. 5 conforms largel to that shown in Fig. 3, and having a lengt of the contiguous body portions 23, 23 as may be desired and combined with a slide clamp 27 for regulating the degree of frictional pressure between the end. sprin portions 11, 12, and for varying the e lective length of the resilient portions of my device. Like parts are designated by the same reference numbers.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 6, which may be employed in pairs as indicated, the same conforms largely to that shown in Fig. 4, and like parts designated by the same reference numbers, however, in this type of my invention, the spring end portions 11, 12 respectively terminate in laterally extended terminal portions 28, 29 respectively, which may serve as additional suspending elements. In Fig. 6, I have shown a pair of my devices secured to theunder surface of a shelf 30 or the like, and for suspending a pair of trousers 22 or the like, and also illustrating the suspension of a garment hanger 31 by its hook 32 from one of thelaterally extended terminal portions 28, 29.

The above described various forms of my invention are shown as formed economically from flat sheet steel, suitably blanked by cutting dies of the proper contour and shaped to the desired form to attain the objects of my invention. It will be understood, however, that other material possessin the desired degree of resiliency coupled with ri dity and capable of being shaped to the deslred ultimate form, may be employed.

As an illustration of forming my invention from steel wire or like resilient material of more or less round or other curved formation,

I illustrate in Fig. 7, a type conforming par- 38, in this instance forming the upper intermediate portions, similarly to form the bi- I part intermediate portions 39, 39, in this instance the lower intermediate body portion, and also to provide for the bi-part oppositely disposed terminal spring portions 40, 40, and 41, 41, respectively. Such bi-part terminal spring portions 40, 41 are respectively attached to the gripping members 42, 43, which may be formed of wood or the like or of molded material or the like, which as is illustrated in Fig. 7 may be hingedly secured by the provision of the openings 44, 45, in the respectivegripping members 42, 43 for the reception respectively of the opposite ends 40 of the terminal portions 40 and of the opposite ends 41' of the terminal portions 41.

In a similar manner the aforesaid typesv shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be formed of wire lengths arranged in bi-part or other multiple bo y, intermediate and terminal portions, with the use of gripping members of wood or the like, or of molded material or the like.

From the above forms of my invention, it will be apparent that I provide various forms of devices for retaining footwear and the like of rugged construction, simple in assembl for manufacture at economical cost, and urable and reliable in use. For suspending and retaining footwear, any desired number of such devices may be grouped by attachment to the frame of a door of a closet or the like, for the laterally secured types of my invention or as groups secured to the under face of a shelf, top of a cupboard or the like for the upwardly secured forms of my invention, and-mmlarly for securement lowerly by attachment to the upper face of a shelf, floor or the like.

As appears from above, my invention may be employed in duplicate or other multiple groups for suspending articles such as trousers, or other articles of wear and the like whether of the laterally secured or of the vertically secured types of my invention.

In the above forms of my invention, it will be observed that the weight of the article suspended imposes upon the terminal portions or gripping elements directly engaging the article suspended a force which causes the terminal portions or the gripping elements to approach one another to increase the friction between the article and the terminal portions or the gripping elements.

In the various forms of my invention as above described, it will also be observed, that one body portion is bent relative to the bracket portion at an angle greater than a right angle to extend outwardly and upward ly from the base portion whereas the other body portion is bent at an angle greater than a right angle to the bracket portion to extend outwardly but downwardly from the bracket portion, whereby upon imposing the weight of the article suspended between the end portions or gripping elements, the springs end portions or gripping elements tend to be brought toward one another with increased pressure and thereby automatically increase the frictional engagement between the end portions or gripping elements and upon the material of the article suspended. By such construction, an open space is provided between the body portions, thereby providing for free space for the reception of the material of the article suspended and aflording added resiliency by increasing as desired the dimensions of the body portions.

It is also observed that resiliency is provided in the spring end portions or gripping elements in a plane to permit the end portions or gripping elements to be slightly displaced under resiliency when the article is manually inserted or removed, but that the end portions or gripping elements are related to one another and to their body portions whereby substantial displacement is precluded in planes at a substantial angle to the plane of resilient displacement of the end portions or gripping elements. Such rigidity in planes transverse to the plane of resilient displacement of the end portions or gripping elements is further enhanced by the substantial width of their body portions and also by providing substantial areas of contact between the end portions and the gripping elements.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that manychanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A suspending and holding device comprising a bracket portion constructed to be secured to a suitable support,terminal spring portions having opposed flat surfaces of considerable area that are pressed against each other by spring tension, and arms extending from said bracket portion and supporting said terminal spring portions, said terminal spring portions flaring from one another below said opposed flat surfaces, said arms being formed relative to one another to provide an opening of considerable area between the opposed flat surfaces and the bracket.

2. A holding device composed of sheet metal and having a bracket portion adapted to be secured rigidly to a plane surface, arm portions formed integral therewith and extending outwardly from said bracket portion and formed toward their free ends into a spring clip integral with said arm portions, said spring clip having pendant opposed and contacting portions extending away from Said arm portions and constructed to receive between them substantially flat portions of articles and to hold the articles suspended by pressure between the opposed portions of the spring clip and by friction between the faces of the spring clip and the surfaces of the flat portion of the articles suspended.

3. A suspending and holding device comprised of a bracket portion adapted to be secured rigidly to a plane surface, arm portions separated from each other to provide an open space, said arm portions being of materially diiferent lengths and pendant portions extending away from said arm portions opposed to and pressed toward each other by spring tension, said separated portions having a form that allows the spring tension of the sep arated portions to act when the opposed portions are forced apart and that maintains the faces of the opposed portions approximately parallel to each other and pressed against each other or against the surfaces of a substantially flat portion of material inserted between .them with nearly equal pressure at all parts of the opposed faces, substantially as described.

4. A suspending and holding device composed of sheet metal and comprising a bracket portion constructed to be secured rigidly to a plane surface and a spring clip depending from said bracket portion and having opposed fiat faces normally in face to face contact, said fiat faces extending and terminating in a direction away from said bracket portion, both the bracket and the spring clip portionshavin g rigidity transversely to the plane of the deviceand the spring cli portions having flexibility in the plane of t e device, sub stantially as set forth.

5. A suspending and holding device comprised of a bracket portionconstructed to be secured to a plane surface, arm portions extending outwardly from the bracket portion at lessthan right angles and approaching each other at their outer ends and having their ends formed into op osed portions at abrupt angles to the extendmg portions and pressed against each other by spring tension, said arm portion being of materially different lengths substantially as described.

6. In a holding device the combination of a bracket portion constructed to be secured rigidly to a suitable support, members of flexible material of materially difierent lengths attached to said bracket portion and spaced apart through substantial portions of their lengths to provide an opening of substantial area, and clip members carried by said flexible members and extending and terminating in a direction away from said flexible members constructed to receive a substantially fiat object and to hold said object suspended by spring tension and friction of said clip members against the surfaces of the object sus tained.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification this 7th day of May, 1927.

HARRY W. PERRY. 

